Seeking records of the Instructor Flying Training Group

Ms Bernard,

Here is some information below please follow the link that will take you to the NARA catalogue for the records you hopefully are seeking. There were lots of moving parts to the Link Trainers such as tachometer, oil pressure, wind speed, flaying, landing, air conditioning, and fighter cockpits. It was considered the modern day flight simulator.

https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196852/link-trainer/

Link Trainer, Instrument. Flying & Landing

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40526393

Dear Ms. Bernard,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the series Central Decimal Correspondence Files, 1919-1950 in the Records of U.S. Air Force Commands, Activities, and Organizations (Record Group 342) that contains 36 files to link trainers and 3 files related to Tonopah, and the series Correspondence Files, 1947-1955 in Record Group 342 contains 9 files related to Tonopah that may be of interest to you. Please note that the files related to link trainers are most likely related to the equipment itself and not to the link trainer operators or instructors. These records have not been digitized. Please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) at archives2reference@nara.gov for access to and information about these records.

Next, we located the series Security Classified Correspondence and Reports Related to Training, 1942-1942 and the series Security Classified Reports Received Relating to Airport Facilities and Training, 1942-1942 in the Records of the Army Air Forces (Record Group 18) that may contain some information related to your research. These records have not been digitized. You may contact RDT2 for assistance with these and similar records. 

We also located the series Organizational Units' Reports Files, 1943-1945 in the Records of U.S. Army Operational, Tactical, and Support Organizations (World War II and Thereafter) (Record Group 338) that contains 2 files related to the 544th Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment. Plus we located the World War II Operations Reports, 1940-1948 in the Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1917-1985 (Record Group 407) that may include records of the 544th Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment during WWII. These records have not been digitized. Please contact RDT2 with any questions you might have about them. 

RDT2 has custody of microfilm copies of operational records relating to U.S. Army Air Force/Air Force units.  We searched the Air Force History Index to the microfilm and located 27 files related to "link trainer" and 22 files related to Tonopah, NV that may be of interest to you. Please read the brief Abstract to determine which records you are interested in and click on the specific PDF icon. In the PDF listing, the IRISREF is the microfilm reel number and note the FRAME and FRAMELST numbers for the location on the reel. If the reel number begins with A, B or C, please contact RDT2 via email at archives2reference@nara.gov for access to them.

If the reel number begins with D - Z, the microfilm is still security classified and RDT2 will not be able to make the reel available to you. The original paper copy from which the film was created is still in the custody of the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA) and has been declassified. To obtain copies of these records, please follow the instructions on this page.

Plus, we located the series Records Related to Training, 1942-1945 in the Records of the Office of Scientific Research and Development (Record Group 227) that contains the file Link Trainer Project. These records have not been digitized. You may contact the National Archives at Boston (RE-BO) at boston.archives@nara.gov for assistance with these records.

Additionally, we located the series Black and White and Color Photographs of U.S. Air Force and Predecessor Agencies, Facilities, and Personnel - World War II and Korean War, ca. 1940 - ca. 1980 in Record Group 342 includes 8 images of link trainers and link trainer instructors or operators. These records have been digitized and may be viewed online via the Catalog. Please contact the National Archives at College Park - Still Pictures (RDSS) at stillpix@nara.gov with any questions you might have about these records.

If you have not done so already, we also suggest that you request a copy of your father’s Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). OMPFs and individual medical reports for enlisted men of the U.S. Army and Army Air Force who were separated from the service after October 1912 and before 1959 are in the custody of NARA's National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis. In many cases where personnel records were destroyed in the 1973 fire, proof of service can be provided from other records such as morning reports, payrolls, and military orders, and a certificate of military service will be issued. Please complete a GSA Standard Form 180 and mail it to NARA's National Personnel Records Center, (Military Personnel Records), 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO  63138-1002. For more information see Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Records Requests.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT2, RE-BO, and RDSS. Also, NPRC will continue servicing requests ONLY associated with medical treatments, burials, and homeless veterans seeking admittance to a homeless shelter. If your request is urgent, please see Emergency Requests and Deadlines. Please refrain from submitting non-emergency requests such as replacement medals, administrative corrections, or records research until NPRC returns to pre-COVID staffing levels. Please check archives.gov/veterans for updates to the NPRC operating hours and status. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

We hope this information is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!